THE SEASONS AT TIARA RADO HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL HOMEOWNERS MEETING

Transcription

1 THE SEASONS AT TIARA RADO HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL HOMEOWNERS MEETING December 7, 2017 Redlands United Methodist Church 527 Village Way, Grand Junction, CO Board Members Present. Dan Buckstein, President Jim Anker, Vice-president Tom Mahan, Recording secretary Dave Boote, Director-at-large Association Members Present. Susan Anker, Joan Bevington, Carolyn Brown, Donna Mae Donahue, Janet Gardner, Sally Hall, Ken Heitt, Margy Heitt, Shanna Kokal, Tom Kokal, Linda Laycock, Judy Lease, Eileen Lepisto, Hallie Mahan, Bruce Noble, Patricia Noble, Brian Olson, Joyce Olson, Andrea Podgorny, Shirley Quinn, Anne Seccombe, Heidi Schoenstein, David Siemsen, Diane Siemsen, Perry Solberg, Mary Sommer, David Stapleton, Sigrid Stapleton, Roger Williams. I. Quorum. Jim Anker, Vice-President, reported that a quorum of the membership was not present and announced that since a quorum could not be established any new motions made by the membership would be recorded, but that consideration of such motions would be deferred until such quorum could be established at a subsequent homeowner meeting. II. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM by Mr. Anker.! 1

2 III. Election of two HOA Directors. Election for two Directors positions was announced to fill the pending vacancies resulting from the expiration of Mr. Anker s and Treasurer Ron Lease s terms. Shanna Kokal and Hallie Mahan were appointed as election judges. Mr. Anker reviewed the election procedures and announced that Mr. Lease has agreed to stand for another term with the board and Carolyn Jayne also volunteered to run for election. He then asked for additional nominations from the floor and there were none. All ballots and proxies were collected and turned over to the election judges. IV. Approval of 2016 Annual Meeting minutes. With a motion and second from the floor, the 2016 Annual Meeting minutes were unanimously approved. V. Year in Review. Dan Buckstein, President, presented a financial overview, which included a review of 2017 and a summary of the 2018 proposed budget. There were two primary factors contributing to the increases in the proposed budget - one resulting from the additional landscaping maintenance costs (hand mowing) for the common area (detention basin) in Filing 7, and the second factor deals with funds replacement back into the Reserves account. Specific reimbursements are needed for the costs for fencing around the irrigation pump housing structure (pit) near the pond, a potential liability issue. Other expenditures requiring reimbursement included irrigation infrastructure (replace the irrigation clock controller on High Tiara and refurbish the pump motor from the flooded irrigation pit) and finally the costs to investigate the ongoing silting issues in the irrigation pond. Additional expenditures, also from the Reserve category, involved landscape improvements (replacing the lights at the South Broadway entrance), and Filing 4 Courtyard cost over-runs (for mowing, fertilizing, irrigation filter cleaning, etc.). In summary, the total reimbursement figure for the Reserves category in 2017 is $6,491. Although no contracts, proposals or bids have been initiated or solicited for any of the following, there are several future projects for which we need to plan now. These include fence painting and minor maintenance along South Broadway! 2

3 and Seasons Drive (although this may be accomplished incrementally over time); also pond maintenance will eventually need to be addressed (dredge the pond and replace the liner); isolation valves at the pump house site should be installed to allow for shutting down one side or the other of the system for maintenance or repair work without closing down the entire system; irrigation gates should be installed to allow for cleaning and flushing the irrigation water holding area (pit) next to the sidewalk; and finally, some thinning and removal of trees and bushes should be accomplished in the grove near the entrance to the Seasons as well as the berm in Filing 4. Regarding the departure of the property management company, Mr. Buckstein described the differing expectations between the company and the Seasons board. Agreement to part ways was mutual and without any animosity. Going forward, the board has renewed the relationship with our former accounting agency, and a Letter of Engagement has been executed between the board and the accounting firm. Our former accountant was even still available, so she will be able to pick up practically where she was previously. After the final settlement with the management company, $1,451 remained from the Special Assessment and the board opted to spend $750 from that remainder to have a website developed for the Seasons that the board will administer and maintain. The new website, seasonshoa.com, will include a wealth of information for homeowners along with a map of the Seasons, with filing boundaries depicted, and a directory of homeowners. Mr. Anker expressed his appreciation to Mr. Buckstein and Mr. Lease for their tireless work dealing with our finances for the Seasons. In summary then, he noted that assessments will generally increase for all filings by around $55 per year. Mr. Anker noted that the results of the election were 51 votes each for Mr. Lease and Ms. Jayne, and four write-ins with one vote each. VI. Information Agenda Proposed Budget. With the absence of Mr. Lease, Mr. Anker presented a draft of the proposed 2018 budget to the membership and compared each category with the actual figures for 2017.! 3

4 The budget is generally organized into four main categories: Administration, Operations, Large Irrigation System and Small Irrigation System. During 2017, $12,900 was budgeted for administrative costs, and for 2018, a budget of $9,105 has been proposed, a decline of nearly $4,000. Operational costs for all filings in 2017 were budgeted for $21,660, and for 2018, $29,928 is proposed. The Small Irrigation System, which serves Filings 1, 3 and the South Broadway entrance, was budgeted for $2,611 in 2017 and for 2018 it is budgeted for $2,406. Irrigation for Filing 7 is a new line-item in the 2018 budget so there was nothing budgeted for 2017, and for 2018, $1,398 is proposed for the small common area for which the Master is responsible. Regarding the Large Irrigation System, which includes Filings 4 and 5 plus a small common area, $16,464 was budgeted for 2017 and $12,364 is proposed for Increases in the Reserve Accounts are proposed for next year in anticipation of future additional/increased expenses for capital expense items in several categories, so for 2017, $2,960 was budgeted and for 2018, $7,592 is proposed. These figures result in a grand total of $56,595 for 2017 and for 2018, a budget of $62,793 is proposed, for an approximate increase of about 11% from last year to this year. VII. Action Agenda. As previously noted, with the lack of a quorum, motions from the floor cannot be considered at this time. However, new issues, questions or comments that anyone would like to bring forward will be considered at the next Board Meeting Mr. Anker asked for input from the neighbors regarding the holiday decorations displayed around the entryway and along the fences. Some homeowners have expressed concerns about the volume of decorations being overdone combined with the effort to set them up and maintain them. A variety of mostly positive comments was offered concerning the decorations, but no real substantive input about the number of decorations or their installation and maintenance. Mr. Buckstein noted that several local HOA s have an Eyes-and-Ears program where one or two neighbors volunteer to walk the neighborhood and note any issues that should be brought to the board s attention. These individuals may also represent neighbors for any questions or issues they may like to have referred to the board. This idea might make sense for the Seasons, with our various filings,! 4

5 to encourage dialogue/issue resolution between the board and homeowners. Mr. Anker asked for any comments, volunteers, etc. to be forwarded to the board. Another comment from the floor involved the responsibility for maintaining landscaping in common areas versus private property. Some areas have dead or dying trees and shrubs that should be addressed. Mr. Anker also pointed out that homeowners whose property backs up to the fences need to ensure that any vines or plantings on their property do not drape or hang over the fence. For one thing, such overhanging vegetation can damage the fence, and secondly, it impacts the ongoing painting and maintenance work. Mr. Buckstein reported that the annual expense for maintenance of irrigation water shares has been moved from the Large and Small Irrigation System categories and into the Operational category. These shares of irrigation water belong to the Seasons HOA, having been purchased with association funds, and if/ when sold, the proceeds would be refunded to all homeowners. VIII. Announcements. Committee reports. Ken Heitt, Chairman for the Design Review Committee expressed his appreciation to the members of his committee. He pointed out that much of their work is accomplished through (32 requests were received this year and most were approved). Requests involving new construction are predictably more involved and usually require formal meetings. Mr. Heitt noted that he responds to ed proposals as quickly as possible, but if a response is not forthcoming, a follow-up call or should be made by the requestor to confirm the status of the request rather than assuming approval has been granted. New construction in the Seasons seems to be on the rise, and Mr. Heitt emphasized his intention that these projects are presented at open meetings for all homeowners to attend. His goal is to convene a formal meeting where the builder/architect presents his plans for the project and answers any questions that homeowners may have. A question about the variability of covenants and design requirements among filings was raised and Mr. Heitt stated that the DRC tries to balance the requirements of all of the covenants (the Master, any updated/ revised editions, filing-specific notations, etc.) and the objectives of the homeowner and the Seasons neighborhood when making DRC recommendations! 5

6 Covenant Compliance Committee is a group that conducts informal neighborhood walk-throughs periodically throughout the year and makes recommendations to the board concerning overall appearance and upkeep. Susan Anker and Cheryl Alpha have been working on a Social Directory for the Seasons. Ms. Anker noted that formal permission must be obtained from all members for them to appear in the directory as well as their permission to publish personal information. Ms. Alpha has developed some forms for members to grant such permissions. When these have been completed (hopefully within the next month), they hope to post the directory on the Seasons website. The directory will not be available to the general public and will be password protected. Social Committee lead by Sue Sullivan handles social events like the Holiday Party, Spring Fling, and Art for all Seasons. Information regarding any of these events will also be available on the website. Mr. Anker noted that this will be his last meeting as a board member and was enthusiastically applauded for his substantial efforts with the board during the last three years. IX. Adjournment. After a motion to adjourn and seconded by several members, the 2017 Annual Homeowner s Meeting was adjourned at 8:05 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Tom Mahan, Recording Secretary! 6